Radio Atlantic, IA – AM 1220

Fewer state road maps printed for 2013

April 15th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

The 2013 state road map will be available soon. Mark Hansen, map maker for the Iowa Department of Transportation, says the new edition will include several hundred updates – everything from minor changes to symbols to new road projects. “We update the map to show…any changes in bypasses or new routes like U.S. 20 through Sac and Calhoun counties. If we have a new four-lane section of roadway, such as U.S. 63 north of Waterloo, we show that as well,” Hansen says. The map contains more than 11-hundred (1,100) cities and towns, and displays the streets and highways that link them all together. Hansen says the “hard copy” maps are still popular with many motorists.

“The paper maps from the Iowa DOT have all the latest changes, so they are at times more current than the technologies we get through Google Maps and navigation units,” Hansen said. This year, 600-thousand (600,000) maps are being printed. That’s down more than 50% from last year. While the DOT has noticed a slight reduction in demand, Hansen credits a limited budget as the bigger reason for the cutback. Starting in 2015, Iowa road maps will go to a two-year printing cycle. This year’s edition will be available sometime in May – at welcome centers, rest stops, and on the DOT website (www.IowaDOT.gov).